Danse Macabre
by dantesdarkqueen
Summary: Vergilcentric thoughtfic. Now it's going on to the other DanteVergil fights in the game, due to a request. I'm baaaack! And here's the next chapter!
1. Danse Macabre

**Summary: **Vergilcentric fic. Basically what's running through his head while he and Dante fight on top of Temen-ni-gru. And yes, I did intend to spell 'dance' like this. Old World-style just seems better for Vergil. Plus, this was not meant to be a yaoi! I know some people like that pairing, but it isn't one of my favorites and all I was thinking of here was family-love, not twincest-love.

**Disclaimer: **Nope. Don't own squat. Me so sad.

Danse Macabre

_How did it ever come to this?_

_I have to wonder at the circumstances that have brought me to this point, on the opposite side of my twin's sword. So many years of separation and obscurity... Dante has thought me dead for that entire time, until we crossed swords in the chamber of the Third Seal about a year ago, when I was still trying to undo all seven of the demon-bound seals and raise the Temen-ni-gru. So many lost years when we could have been together, growing stronger and retaining the connection of sibling rivalry and friendship, the love/hate relationship of all siblings..._

_A lost dream, remembered only with the merest twinge of regret. _

_Once, I would have welcomed the old emotions of love and appreciation in my brother's eyes, even the remains of the admiration he had held for me when we were younger. But I see nothing of that now. I behold only hatred in Dante's eyes right now. He swings Rebellion at me with speed and skill, a mastery no human could have hoped to parry. But I allow it to knock Yamato out of my hand, catching it as it flips and ramming its hilt as hard as I can against his exposed abdominal muscles, sending him flying back against one of the statues. He tries to hit me as he is sent backwards, but I catch it in time. He grunts as he makes contact with the statue; I can hear the agony in his gutteral noise. _

_My heart twinges as he struggles to his knees, pulling one of his guns from behind his back to point it at me. I truly regret that I must do this, but I need his amulet. To gain Father's power and defeat Mundus, to punish him for killing Mother and separating me from my brother, for taking so much away from both of us, I have to deal great harm to Dante. My little brother. _

_He'd never allow me to borrow his amulet. It's all he - and I, for that matter - have left of our mother._

_I want to tell him what I am planning. My heart aches to fight alongside my twin, as we always did against schoolyard bullies. We were unstoppable when we were together. From Big Ricky to Lila, we always won when we were together. _

_How did this barrier grow up between us? What will it take to tear it down?_

_He has fired at me. I catch four of the seven bullets intact, and send them right back at him. Rebellion deflects them, sending them off to his sides to discharge their power harmlessly. _

_I want so badly for us to fight as partners, as brothers, once more. I want it so much, almost more than I want to avenge Mother's murder. I just want my twin back..._

_But Dante's eyes still display unbending hate. He does not acknowledge me as anything other than an enemy at this moment in time. _

_And so my heart turns away from him. If he does not want to help me, then he leaves me no choice._

_I have to do this._

_Even though it's killing me inside._

"Why do you refuse to gain power?"_ I demand of him. _"The power of our father, Sparda."

"Father?" _He laughs soundlessly, mirthlessly. _"I don't have a father. I just don't like you, that's all."

_With that, he charges and I counter. Yamato and Rebellion clash together ina storm of sparks, and our faces mirror each other above their cross. Dante's face is strained, as is mine; we are both putting everything we have into the clench, trying to force the other to break first. _

_The friction of our blades sliding against each other cause the point of connection to grow red-hot, the rain that strikes it turning to hissing steam. The moment will soon arrive..._

_Now._

_Dante weakens slightly, but I sense it as keenly as a shark senses blood in the water. In that moment I disarm him, Rebellion flipping away to impale the tower, leaving him defenseless. _

_Brother..._

_Forgive me._

_Yamato finds little resistance as I send it slicing through my brother's abdomen, probably damaging several of his vital organs. It does not matter. He will heal._

_But the look in his eyes..._

_So full of pain and innocence, almost as it he's asking me how I could do this to him, even while the defiance remains. _

_How did it ever come to this?_

_The act must continue. I cannot tell Dante of my ultimate goal now. He would never believe me, not when my sword is causing him unbearable agony. _

"Foolishness, Dante." _I shove Yamato in further, to make sure he got my point. I know my face is utterly cold, unfeeling, even as my soul is screaming in agony where my twin cannot, railing against what I have just done. _"Foolishness. Might controls everything." _I hope he understands what I'm trying to tell him, the message hidden beneath the callous words. My entire life in the past few years, summed up in a few harsh sentances. _"And without strength, you cannot protect anything." _He bites back a scream as I yank him forward, further damaging his innards. _"Let alone yourself!"

_A swift yank and he's falling backwards, his reflexes shocked into a non-responsive state by the pain. I reach out and take his amulet, his own weight serving to break the chain and relinquish it into my grasp. As he crashes to the ground I swipe Yamato across the hand he has extended in a silent plea for his treasure, a teacher reprimanding the student for unruly behavior. I raise the amulet to look at it, and see my brother lying as if dead, his face turned away from me as he battles the pain and his body slowly begins the rapid healing process. _

_Dante..._

_I'm so sorry._

_I didn't realize I had pressed his amulet to my forehead, comforting myself. I take it away and run my fingers through my hair, spiking it so I appear different from Dante once more. I adopted this hairstyle after he and I were separated, so I wouldn't see my twin every time I looked into a reflective surface. He left me behind in that house, believing me to be dead. He never came back to make sure I wasn't. _

_I didn't want to see him when I looked at myself. It hurt too much._

_Turning away, I begin to leave, pulling Rebellion out of the stone on my way. I hear Dante getting up behind me, and am struck by a sudden flash of anger. _

_He abandoned me, when I needed him the most. He hadn't even _tried_ to find me; he just assumed I was dead. _

_Before I even knew what was happening, Rebellion was quivering in his chest, stapling him to the tower below. I stumble back from him, momentarily shocked at my actions. _

_Have I just murdered my own twin?_

_What did I just do? Have I... Will he be able to heal this? The sword is straight through his heart! I just wanted the amulet; I didn't want to kill him!_

"Do you finally have it?"

_Arkham's voice snaps me out of my stupor. Dante will recover. He's my brother, and I've recovered from worse wounds. I turn to face my 'guide.' _"Yes. Now the spell Sparda cast will be broken." _I have to get off this tower. I have to get away from Dante. I don't want to harm him any further._

_I have his amulet. He does not have to suffer anymore. _

_But he will come after me. _

_Even as the thought crosses my mind, I hear a sound from behind me, almost like a splash of water. I turn, Yamato in a vertical reverse-guard position, just in time to catch Dante's fist, flying fast for my head. _

_His eyes are crazed, enraged. I see red fire flickering in their depths. I have not witnessed this for myself, but I feel the gathering power, recognize it from when I first gained this ability. _

"I see a devil inside you has awoken as well," _I comment. Does Dante even know what's going on?_

_He doesn't say a word. Instead, he squirms his bisected hand forward and twists it, grabbing Yamato's blade and flinging it, with me still attached, away from him._

_I start to charge him, welcoming the challenge of facing his emerging devil, but I am halted by Arkham. _"Wait! We should leave. For the moment we have all that we need."

_I cannot take my eyes off my brother. He is approaching us slowly, as if a thousand-pound weight has been tied to his waist. His eyes are vacant, zombie-like, and there's an unholy nimbus pulsing around his body. His harsh breathing is the only sound I hear. _

_I turn away from him, feeling a need to allow him some time to emerge and recover. I certainly needed it, when my devil awakened. I jump off the side of the tower, unconcerned about the distance or gravity. I do not even worry about enemies like Bloodgoyles or Leviathon. My thoughts remain with my brother as his cry fills the night, and purest white power explodes atop the tower. _

_I keenly feel the weight of his amulet in my pocket, can't help but remember how I gained that item. _

_Dante, my brother..._

_Try to understand._

_I never wanted to hurt you._

_But you gave me no choice._

_I want to cry, but I cannot do as my heart demands. I lost the ability to shed tears the night I gained this second form of mine, the devil within. _

_I hope he retains that ability._

_Dante always was far more human that I. _


	2. Dark Tango

**Summary: **Vergilcentric fic. Okay, now I'm continuing onto the other fights Dante and Vergil have throughout the course of the game, both against each other and together. Still going to be Vergil's thoughts alone, mostly because I've been wanting to get down on paper (or in this case, in cyberspace) what I think he's thinking during these fights for a while now. Plus, this was not meant to be a yaoi! I know some people like that pairing, but it isn't one of my favorites (truth be told, I absolutely hate it) and all I was thinking of here was family-love, not twincest-love.

**Disclaimer: **Nope. Don't own squat. Me so sad.

**Queen's Quorner: **Due to a request from one of my readers (yeah, I have readers who like my fics! Isn't that amazing?), I have decided to continue this fic. It was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but then I got to thinking about some of Vergil's actions in other fights. I've had these thoughts mulling around in my skull for a while now, but this was an opportunity to organize them and get them typed up. So, I took advantage of it. That, and Vergil's been bugging me to write some more about him lately. Says I'm spending too much time with Axel and not him and Dante! Also, I would recommend reading "Innocence Lamented, Innocence Lost" before reading this. Some of the people and events referenced to in this story are mentioned in that fic. Note: 'recommend,' not command. You could probably follow Vergil's thoughts just fine without reading that fic. Here you are, then. The next chapter, served hot and ready!

Dark Tango

_The amulets are reacting to each others' presense, flickering like those idiotic baby pacifiers so many teenage girls these days have hanging around their necks. _

_Excellent. _

_Soon the tower will awaken, and I can open the Gate into Hell and claim Father's sword, and with it his power. My birthright and my means of vengeance. Once I have Father's power, then I can challenge Mundus in single combat. I shall avenge Mother's death with my own sword, alone. At last, she will be able to rest in peace. _

_After that..._

_I truly do not know. Power without a purpose is just as bad as being powerless. I do not wish to take his place as the King of the Underworld, but... _

_Nor do I wish to return to this meaningless existence I currently lead. _

_Originally I had thought to reveal myself to Dante and become his ally, hunting devils and slaying them wherever I go. True, we have both changed, but with work we might be able to recover that which was lost so long ago. But now, he would be far more likely to impale the empty organ beating within my chest as soon as he saw my face. And after what I have done to him, I would not blame him. _

_What we had is long since departed. _

_We can never be friends again. _

_The amulets have joined as one, sinking into the pristine white light of the Seal and disappearing. Now I need one more key..._

_I kneel beside the glowing center of the dais, and draw Yamato. It slides out of its sheath with a sound that is almost...musical, and I steel myself for what I must do. Lifting the katana, I place it against my left hand. I do not have to apply much pressure; the edge is so keen that it cuts through the leather of my gloves, and deeply into the flesh beneath, far easier than a knife through hot butter. The pain takes a heart-beat to arrive, but when it does it is sharp, keen. I grit my teeth against it, reminding myself that all of my suffering shall be greatly rewarded, and then pull Yamato hard and fast across and away from my hand, allowing my blood to drip into the Seal. It floods the pure light like a contamination, spreading quickly to cover and weaken the integrity of the spell. _

_I rise, and clean off Yamato, sliding it back into its sheath while staring at the Seal. I do not know how long this should take, but it can only be a matter of time. Soon, the tower shall awaken from its long slumber, and lead me into Hell. _

_Soon. _

_A memory comes to me, then, and I allow it to fill my head, smiling. It is a recollection of Dante and I, of a time before Father left us and we still lived in our original house. Before Tommy and his father moved in next door, there was a lesbian couple with their daughter living next to us. Noel, the little girl, was the biological daughter of one of the two women, concieved with her husband before she realized she was gay and fell in love with her best friend. As such, Noel was a very spoiled little girl. For a seven year old, she was extremely stuck-up. Dante and I were only six when she took notice of us, and decided that just because she was older than us, she had the right to order us to do her bidding. Our parents and her mothers thought that we were all friends, because we played so nicely together._

_They were wrong._

_Noel would bully us into playing with her, and then she would play thoroughly demeaning games. 'House' was our particular nemesis. She would make me play the Daddy, Dante the bratty little boy, and some of her Barbie dolls would serve as babies. If I recall, she usually had me looking after triplets, but sometimes she would spawn more Barbies and up the number to six or seven. And all of them were Barbies or Theresas or Stacys, ocasionally a Skipper or Christie. Never a Ken doll. Noel hated to have boys. _

_I don't know why Dante and I went along with her for so long. I suspect it was because she always had cookies, and she would bribe us with some if we would play with her. In hindsight, I realize now how stupid we were to sell ourselves for a handful of lousy cookies, but back then we didn't really care. Noel's Mommy-Linda was the best baker on the block, and Mother really didn't make us cookies that often. But one day, we decided we had had enough. _

_Noel had gone inside for something, and we each grabbed one of her Barbies and raced back to our house, jumping over the fence and heading straight for the grill. Dante grabbed some matches and I some kindling en route. Mom always kept the matches out back, for some reason. I still do not know exactly why. We also got our hands on the gasoline can Father used to fill the lawn mower. _

_By the time Noel figured out where we had gone, we had a nice little blaze going. _

_Needless to say, we got in big trouble for that one. Noel and her mothers complained to our parents, and they punished us. Neither of us could sit down for nearly a day after that. But as far as we were concerned, it was worth it. Noel and her mothers moved away shortly thereafter, and we didn't have to play House anymore. Score one for the boys. _

_How long has it been? Surely the spell should have broken by now! I've started pacing before the Seal, just watching it. My temper is growing by the second, and at last, it reaches the boiling point. _"Why isn't this working?" _I growl to no-one in particular. _"Is there something missing? Must more blood be shed?" _Do I have to spill every drop of blood in my body for this to work? How much did Sparda sacrifice to power the spell, anyway? _

_If I do have to slit my wrists, I'm going to have to go messing around in the upper levels again. I don't have a gold orb with me, so I shall have to find one. Damn it all it Hell!_

"You seem to be in a bad mood."

_The mocking lilt to the voice tells me who spoke even before I turn around. _"Dante."

_So he survived the emergence of his devil after all. I had wondered. Worried? I would be lying if I said I hadn't, at least a little. Yes, _I_ put the blade through his heart, but he is my twin, my little brother. I would not have done such a thing if I hadn't had need of his amulet. As soon as the thought crosses my mind, I know that he is not here for peaceful intentions. He will fight me, even if he does look like Hell. I do not know how close he is to the limits of his strength, but his coat looks as if it's been turned into red Swiss cheese. Has he been facing a couple dozen Enigmas, I wonder? _

_My hand closes upon Yamato's hilt, and I tense in readiness for a quick series of slashes, a charge that will more than likely take him down. That manuever worked fairly well against him before, but perhaps he has found a way to counter it? _

_He paces to a stop across from me, and shifts back onto his left leg, a cocky position. So arrogant, even when I have already defeated him once. _"So. My mother's amulet is the key that unlocks the door to the Demon World."

_Who told him that?_

_He laughs and looks up to the ceiling, walking to the side a little. I prefer to stay in one place, utterly focused, before I begin a battle; Dante, ever my polar opposite, keeps moving. _"Good plan, Pop."

_So he does not know everything. I decide to throw out some more information, hoping to put off the inevitable fight a bit longer. _"Just the opposite, actually. Originally it was the key to the Demon World, but was given to humans as a gift." _History always was one of my favorite subjects._

_He does not seem to care. If our mental link was still intact, I could tell for certain. Unfortunately, that was broken the same night he gave me up for dead. I cannot sense his emotions or his pain anymore. He turns away from me. _"It doesn't matter to me one way or another. More importantly, I've come all this way." _He swings back around to face me, and reaches behind his shoulder for Rebellion. The blade is revealed slowly, and lowered to point at me. He has made his choice, and so must I. _"I'm sure you have time for one more game, right?"

_Yamato is almost out of its sheath before I know what I'm doing, ready to slice into his body as it had before. But something he said stops me. _

_'Game.'_

_That was always our nickname for sparring matches when we were little. Not with Yamato and Rebellion; we were not allowed to touch those swords at that age. We always used our fists or 6x4 plywood planks. We'd say we were going out to play a game, and then proceed to beat the living daylights out of each other. _

_Maybe I can jog his memory. _

_Besides, I want to try out my new gauntlets. Yamato is slid back into its sheath with a metallic _chink.

"Why not? After all, we share the same blood." _I call to the gauntlets and greaves, falling into a guard stance. I have to give him another lie. I don't want to spill his blood again, but if it will help break the Seal and thus get me into Hell, closer to my long-awaited vengeance, I will do it. Maybe he'll understand, someday._

_But not just now. _

"I'll just use some of your's to undo Daddy's little spell." _Good, the anger is there in his eyes. That will make it a little easier to justify what I have to do. Self-defense can shield the mind, reality, from a multitude of sins. _

_Dante is examining the mirror-clear surface of his sword, almost carelessly. _"So... You want a piece of me literally. Okay, bro." _Rebellion is twirled and lowered once more, as he shifts back to the side and puts his weight on his left leg again. Making the target as small as possible so there is less chance of getting hit. _"Come and get it, if you can."

_I still wish I didn't have to do this... _

_But..._

_I race towards him, gauntlets raised to smash his face in. _

_I'll do as I must, and so will he. _

_I just hope neither of us gets killed in doing so. _


	3. Enshrouded Waltz

**Summary: **Vergilcentric fic. Okay, now I'm continuing onto the other fights Dante and Vergil have throughout the course of the game, both against each other and together. Still going to be Vergil's thoughts alone, mostly because I've been wanting to get down on paper (or in this case, in cyberspace) what I think he's thinking during these fights for a while now. Plus, this was not meant to be a yaoi! I know some people like that pairing, but it isn't one of my favorites (truth be told, I absolutely hate it) and all I was thinking of here was family-love, not twincest-love.

**Disclaimer: **Nope. Don't own squat. Me so sad.

**Queen's Quornor: **Yeah, it's been awhile. Sorry, but the muses have me writing FFVII fanfics at the moment. Don't fret; my DMC fics will be carried out to their end, and more will follow. I can't abandon my favorite game, after all. Dante and Vergil would never forgive me. And just to let you all know, there is another Heather/Michael/Aeva fic in the works. Just going to get to it when I've finished some other fics and have some more time on my hands. Continuing on, here's the infamous third fight scene with Dante and Vergil. You know, the big tell-all scene? Yeah, I thought you would remember. Just thought I'd warn you ahead of time that this is going to be an extremely long chapter, since I'm doing Vergil's thoughts during the fights with his brother and that particular scene is pretty lengthy anyway. You have been warned.

Enshrouded Waltz

_A dance of crimson and azure, ribbons of silver light flowing and parting between us. Scarlet drops, the tears of our veins, flying from the merciless edges of our blades to spatter artistically on the floor, rivers of blood forming on the stone beneath our feet. We meet and part, tides drawn to each other and forced to draw back. It is beautiful, this lethal dance we share. So very beautiful that angels must weep to behold its perfection._

_And yet at the same time..._

_It is a waltz of horror, shrouded in the darkness of this tower and revealed only to the worthy, to the damned. _

_My heart bleeds even as my body heals. _

_I have long since discarded the gauntlets and greaves in favor of Yamato. They are capable of serious damage, but I prefer the unconscious mastery I have acheived with my katana, the harmony between master and devil-arm. Beowulf would not obey me as I wished, and in this battle, this war, I must be obeyed if I am to succeed. _

_Dante has not used his firearms at all since I came at him. Does he desire that this kill be quick and clean rather than drawn out and painful? He has always been the more merciful of us. I can see in his eyes that he wishes to put me out of his misery. He believes that in killing me, one of his demons will be exorcized. _

_How wrong he is._

_I long so badly to inform him of my plans, of my reasons for undoing the Seal and claiming my forbidden birthright. But what are the chances that he would believe me? It has been so long since I have seen him in a time of peace, longer still since we have seen eye to eye. _

_I look into his eyes. There is only hatred in their burning depths, flaring remnants of the passion he possesses and I lack. _

_Yamato slices into his arm, sweeping his blood out of his body and into the sepulchral air of this hell, this stone tomb. He spins away from me as I do the same, and I realize that not all of his innocence has departed from him. For the briefest of moments, I can see the hurt reflected in his eyes, a look similar to the one he always gave bullies when we were younger. His blue orbs practically scream "Why are you hurting me?" _

_Demanding to know the reason for this pain I am causing him._

_In that moment, I know that he wishes this battle as little as I. Neither of us desire to slay the other, the twin with whom we once shared so much time, so many secrets. The mirror image that was once a best friend. _

_But if he does not get out of my way and allow me to accomplish what I must, I will kill him. _

_And I know he will do the same, to stop me. _

_We are in a clench again, our blades sparking off each other and our faces only inches apart. _

_That glimpse of innocence is gone. His resolve, his hate, has returned in full measure. _

_His strength has grown a hundred-fold since last I battled him. He will not be so easy to disarm this time. And frankly, I am not sure I could live with myself if I impaled him like that once more. He can obviously survive a blow to his heart, the total shredding of his internal organs, but that is not what gives me pause. _

_He is my twin. The only family I have left. _

_Can I kill him? Rob myself of the only person I have left to care about?_

_Or would I follow him to the grave, once my objective has been completed?_

_That line of thinking is stolen as my ears pick up the sound of firing and the rapid parting of air, heading towards us quickly, above the grunts we are emitting and the scraping of metal. Dante whips away from me, Rebellion sweeping to slice the offending projectile in half. I raise Yamato and slam it downward, quartering the cylinder. The projectile's momentum is stolen, and it flutters sadly off-course, landing on the floor and falling apart. _

_The woman who fired the rocket looks suitably disappointed. It is that same woman whose killing, or rather lack thereof, Arkham declared was 'none of my business.' This is daughter, then. Impressive, that she managed to get this far. _

_Dante twirls Rebellion, and settles back into a ready stance, breathing hard. Both of us are. _"Sorry, but this is no place for a little girl. So beat it!"

"Shut up!"_ As if Dante would obey a command like that. _

_She fires another rocket at us, or rather, him. He dodges backwards, and I follow. That little imbecile has given me my chance at victory! If I can get him now, when he is distracted, then there is a chance I will not be forced to kill him!_

_Rebellion meets Yamato, and the battle continues. So much for that idea. _

_The woman is running toward us. What is she trying to do? Break into our duel, that's what. _

_What a fool. _

_Two sweeps of my katana sends her to the floor, with only Dante between her and I. I execute one of the flips I so rarely display, beating back Rebellion the entire time, and attempt to cut her in half. How dare she try to end this battle between us? It is mine to win or lose! She will die for interrupting my brother and I! _

_That damnable rocket launcher of hers is between her pretty face and my katana. It must be made of titanium or some similar metal, for Yamato should be cutting through it as if it were butter. I bear down harder; how dare she prevent me from killing her!_

"You forced him into this!" _she grits out. Oh, does she mean her father? And how did she come to this conclusion, I wonder? Is she really that naive?This is no woman before me. This is merely a girl, and a foolish one at that. _

"Is that what you think?" _I shake my head slightly, incredulous at her stupidity. Her eyes widen as she comes to realize that I speak the truth. _"Foolish girl."

_Dante comes at me again; without taking my eyes off her, I deflect his attack. The girl spins away from us, out of our way, and raises her launcher again. But she seems hesitant. Have my words penetrated that thick skull of hers? _

_Good. _

_My momentary distraction earns Dante a solid hit. Rebellion slashes between my ribs, the sheer agony of it nearly freezing me in place. Yes, I have suffered worse wounds in battle, but until now they have never been in that particular area. My ribs, you see, have always been sensative, ticklish really. That one, as he would put it, hurt like a bitch. _

_Yamato replies in kind, giving him a wound that mirrors my own. We fall apart, mere feet away from each other, panting to catch our breath and fighting back the pain. Glaring at each other from our kneeling positions. _

_This isn't over, brother. Once I catch my second wind, your life is mine!_

_What the... _

_Who is applauding us? _

_It's not the human girl. She's still standing on the opposite end of the dais, launcher at the ready. Who is it, then? _

_A clown? _

_Impossible to imagine, even less to believe, it is. There is a _clown_ in the room with us, garbed in the purple attire of a court jester. Those nails of his are far too long for comfort, less so as they are coated with blood that runs well past the cuticles and down his fingers. And that nose of his... I swear, it looks as if it could inhale Manhatten Island. _

"Bravo! Bravo! I never _dreamed_ things would go so smoothly!" _What is he talking about? What went so smoothly? _"Well done, everyone. Well done!" _Each congratulatory remark is emphasized by a double-clap of his hands. I have no idea who this fool is, but that voice is really, really getting on my nerves. _

_I always hated clowns when I was young. _

_Dante manages to get up, arm tucked tightly to his side where he is still healing. _"You!" _he hisses. He knows this clown? How? I've been all over this tower, throughout every inch of its interior, and I never met this fool. And if he met Dante, then why is he still alive? My brother hates clowns as much as I do. _

_The girl starts to spin, aiming her launcher at him. But the clown is there before she can get too far, the fool is there, his long tongue slurping around his lips. For some reason, that is more disturbing than anything I have seen in this tower thus far. _"Don't be a bad girl, Mary!"_ The girl's name is Mary? Has she met this clown as well? Am I the only person in this tower who has avoided the dubious pleasure of his company? The fool abruptly yanks her launcher away from her, sending her somersaulting into the air to land on her stomach, the air blasting out of her lungs with loud _"Ughnn!"

_Dante uses Rebellion as a support, getting to his feet. The clown now has the girl's launcher resting on his shoulder and slams a hand down on his hip, beginning a ridiculous little dance. _"Or you can expect a spanking from daddy later! Jester's gonna spank your butt, spank you on the butt!"

_...Ew. _

_I have had enough of this fool's prattlings. It is time for him to die. Despite my pain, which remains while the wound has already closed, I stand tall. _"Insane buffoon!" _I growl at him, effectively recieving his full attention. _"I don't know where you came from, but you don't belong here!" _He doesn't reply, merely drops the launcher behind him with a careless extension of his arm. _"Now leave!"

_I charge him, Yamato already swinging for his face. Tired though I am, it still means certain doom for the purple idiot. He has no weapon!_

_And..._

_He's caught Yamato. _

_He's caught Yamato! What the...!_

"Zowie, that was close!"

_How the hell is this possible? The clown has Yamato clapped between his hands, the blade less than an inch from his enormous nose. Nobody has ever managed to do that! _Nobody! _And what's worse, I can't pull it out of his grip. It's like trying to yank a toothpick out of superglue; it's not happening. _

"But you've taken quite a trouncing today, haven't you, Vergil?" _He slides one bloody hand up the length of the blade while I struggle to come to terms with what just happened, with this sudden, inexplicable weakness that has overcome me. Where has my strength gone? Now he's lowering Yamato to the side, that annoying nasal voice grating on my ears. _"You could have chopped me into confetti by now if you were in tip-top condition!"

"Damn you!" _It's all I can get out at the moment. Why am I so weak? Why do I feel so...human?_

"You have lost."

_That voice... Even though it came from the clown's throat, it's not his voice. That voice belonged to... _

_But how did he...? _

_I killed him! How is he still alive?_

_Of course, this realization hits hard at the same moment the fool - he called himself 'Jester,' right? - knocks me away. I slid across the dais on my left shoulder, nearly to the very edge. Rolling onto my back, I try to figure out what just happened..._

_And see Arkham standing where Jester had been only moments before. That arrogant, bi-colored gaze is fixed directly on me, even though he is turned away. How did he survive getting impaled? _"Because you underestimated humans."

_Is he reading my mind? No, wait a minute. He just finished what he was saying before. What is wrong with me? Why can't I think straight? Where is my strength? _

_The girl is crawling away. She turns her head to look at him, and I see the shock, the confusion, in her eyes. Her father's eyes. _"What's going on?" _Her bravado has fled; now she sounds like the little girl she truly is. Arkham transfers his attention to her. _

"Good girl." _He's praising her? What? _"Pure and innocent. Just like your mother." _What is he talking about?_

_She obviously knows. Confusion swiftly turns to anger, and she yanks out one of her guns, pointing it directly at him. _"You bastard!"

_Jester's suddenly back, and Arkham gone. So they're one and the same? Of all the forms he could have given himself, why the hell did he pick some maniacal clown? His claws have grabbed her head, forcing her gaze back to look into his eyes. _"It's time for your spanking, my dear!" _With a grunt, he turns her head back to the floor, forces it back, and then slams it onto the stone. She is yet conscious, but effectively disabled. Still holding her head to the floor, he looks at me, where I'm trying to get up and only partly succeeding. _"You want to know why the spell didn't break, hmm, Vergil?"

_As a matter of fact, yes I do! _

_He stands up, using his hands to emphasize his speech. And the bells on his hat are flying above his head. How... Is that a reaction to the rising power in this room? Do they act as demonic power barometers or something? And I still cannot think, obviously. _"You have the two amulets, and Sparda's blood. You had everything you needed to unleash the evil!"

_Tell me something I _don't _know, you idiot!_

_Dante has managed to get up. Firearms in hand, he takes a few steps to the side, where he can get a better shot. Motioning to Jester with the silver gun, he grumbles _"I told you before. I don't like anybody who has a bigger mouth than mine!"

_He would say something like that. Am I the only one who has any sort of brains in this area? Jester, pretending mortification, opens his mouth as wide as he can and covers it with his hands. It actually is bigger than my brother's, at least in size. Oh, what a tempting target that would make for Yamato! Too bad I still can't move that much. _

_Dante crosses his arms at the wrists and opens fire on the clown, aiming at his feet. Is he trying to make him dance? For crying out loud, shoot him, not his feet! Dante, how stupid can you get?! One bullet in just the right area would end this problem for all of us! Jester somehow manages to teleport in short jumps away from the bullets across the floor, up the wall, and onto the ceiling. Dante follows him with his guns, chipping a clear trail into the ancient stone as he tracks Jester. _"You are wounded and weak," _the moving target points out. _

_Oh no... I think I see what... _"Even I can do..."

_He did. _

_Jester flips over in midair, his pointy shoes connecting solidly with Dante's stunned visage and bearing him straight to the dais. It's a little comical; only his head is touching the stone. Everything else is still up in the air. Effecting the finishing position of an Olympic gymnast, Jester shouts out the rest of his observation: _"...This to you!"

_I may not love my brother, but it does hurt to see that fool laughing while the rest of Dante's body crashes to the ground. He shouldn't have been able to do that. What is _wrong_ with Dante and I? We're better, stonger, than this!_

"Two amulets." _Arkham's back now, and approaching his daughter. She's stirring now, but unable to get to her feet, just like us. _"A set of Sparda's blood." _Got to get up... He's picking up her launcher. _"Now, I need one more key." _Get up, Vergil, get up! _

_The girl just lies there, groaning softly. Like us, she lacks the strength to pick herself up off the stone. What did that clown _do_ to us? _

_Arkham's going on about Sparda again. _"He sacrificed two things to supress the tremendous force of this tower." _The amulets and his blood. I already knew that! So why didn't it work? Is our blood too diluted to be of use? _

_He's reached his daughter now, and has pointed the bayonet on the end of the launcher at her thigh. Stupid as ever. If you're going to kill her, Arkham, at least aim for the vital areas. _"His own devil's blood, and a mortal priestess."

_A what? A priestess? _

_I've gone through hundreds of books and documents, including Father's own personal handwritten accounts, and I _never_ came across any mention of any priestess whatsoever. Where did he come up with this idea? _

_The launcher is raised and abruptly lowered, impaling her leg. She yells in pain, her upper body jerking up off the stone, and slowly lowers back to its original position as she growls against the agony. Arkham is still standing there, launcher in hand. I don't think he's even looking at her. _"I needed you, in whose body flows the same blood as the sacrificed woman."

_WHAT?!_

"His spell cannot be undone without your blood!"

_How long has he planned this? His own daughter, a descendent of this supposed priestess? That cannot possibly be just a coincidence. I know what he did to his wife; was that planned as well, because she had holy blood in her veins? _

_Arkham really has far too much time on his hands. _

_Well, if I have my way, he'll have more than enough time for all eternity. _

_Jester's back now. Infuriating idiot must be Arkham's version of a devil trigger. I hadn't realized he's gotten that far in his endeavor to become a devil. _"It was quite a ride, you know." _The girl chokes back a scream as her launcher is ripped out of her leg. Jester uses it to perform an impromptu jig. Quite a disturbing sight, actually. _"If any of you had died before getting here, our little plan would have gone to waste! Ha!" _He's leaning on the launcher now, beside the girl's bleeding thigh. _"Therefore, my job was to make you battle each other in order to weaken you. But at the same time, I had to guide you here and make sure that you were kept alive."

_That explains how he got up to the roof so quickly the first time Dante and I fought. But... Wait a minute..._

_He could have stopped me from nearly killing my brother! And he _didn't!

_That bastard... _

"I even went so far as dressing like a complete idiot!"

_Suits you perfectly. _

_My strength's returning, albeit slowly. Looks like the same is occuring for Dante and the girl. Just a little longer... _

_Jester turns his attention back to his daughter. _"It's time for bed, Mary. You can visit your dear mother."

_If he's going to kill her, he'd better do it now rather than laughing like a loon. She's about ready to explode. _

_And I was right. She rolls onto her hip, kicks the launcher out of his hands, and gets to her feet, faster than I would have believed her capable of. The launcher is snatched out of the air and pointed directly at his pale, surprised face. _"Try me," _she challenges softly._

_Dante and I have already heaved ourselves to our feet and closed the distance. First Yamato, then Rebellion land squarely across the back of his neck. I don't know about Dante, but I wish to enact a little revenge upon this traitor before killing him as slowly and agonizingly as possible. Nobody makes a fool of me and lives to tell about it. _Nobody.

"It's time for the clown to bow out, Arkham."_ Just one move, Arkham. One move, and you'll be history._

"Dude, the show's over." _Dante looks twice as irritated as I feel. Maybe I'll let him help me torture Arkham for awhile. I'm sure he'd enjoy it. _

_Arkham's surrounded by a circle of deadly weapons, all of their wielders poised and ready to use them at a moment's notice. He is effectively trapped. _

"Impressive. I would have expected nothing less from the Devil's descendents."

_Saying things like that will get you nowhere good with Dante. If looks could kill, you would have been turned into slime just now. _

"But aren't you forgetting something, Vergil?" _Why is he addressing me? _"The spell is broken. What do you think will happen next?"

_Actually, I have no idea. _

"Let's welcome chaos!"

_The hoarse whisper is followed by the sound of grinding stone, as the cieling opens up. The dais is suddenly flooded with blood-red streaks of light, glowing with unholy power. Now the floor is moving, rising into the air. What is going on? We're all losing our balance at the sudden movement._

_All except for our captive. _

_Arkham moves quickly, faster than we can react. Our weapons slide together where his head was just a second ago, but he's already dropped to the floor, and we're all airborne as his leg sweeps our feet out from beneath us. Now he's spinning on one hand, his legs flying out to hit me. I'm swung into Dante, who hits Mary, and then we're flying off the dais. _

_Something cracks against my head, and everything goes black. _


	4. Intermission in Darkness

**Summary: **Vergilcentric fic. Okay, now I'm continuing onto the other fights Dante and Vergil have throughout the course of the game, both against each other and together. Still going to be Vergil's thoughts alone, mostly because I've been wanting to get down on paper (or in this case, in cyberspace) what I think he's thinking during these fights for a while now. Plus, this was not meant to be a yaoi! I know some people like that pairing, but it isn't one of my favorites (truth be told, I absolutely hate it) and all I was thinking of here was family-love, not twincest-love.

**Disclaimer: **Nope. Don't own squat. Me so sad.

**Queen's Quornor:** It's been a while since I've updated one of my DMC fics, and for that you all have my sincerest apologies. I have been very busy with FFVII fics in addition to college and a busy work schedule. This has left me with very little time to devote to my favorite identical twins. But hopefully the muse has returned to me now; Vergil's decided he has something to say... Er, think.

Intermission in Darkness

_All that I can hear is the steady rhythm of my own heartbeat, my pulse pounding in my ears. I feel pain, dull and throbbing, at the back of my skull. I have no idea where I am, for I have yet to open my eyes. _

_As my body recovers its strength, and begins to heal the wounds incurred during my battle with Dante and the confrontation with Arkham, I am left laying on a cold, hard surface with only my thoughts for company. _

_How could I have been so blind? I should have realized Arkham's ambition was greater than merely opening the portal to the Demon World. He was able to kill his own wife, to rip out her beating heart with his own hands and watch the life drain from her eyes in the hopes of relinquishing his humanity and becoming a devil; he would think nothing of attempting to steal my birthright, my father's power, right out from under my nose. I should have known that he would keep some secrets to himself concerning the various rituals, incantations, and mechanics of the Temen-ni-gru. I had thought that fear of my wrath would keep him under control, and his ambition would ensure his loyalty._

_It seems that I was wrong. So very wrong. _

_Now I am somewhere within the tower, and I have little idea of how long I have been here. I must have been knocked unconscious after he threw us off the platform. But how long have I been out? Has he claimed Sparda's power yet? _

_A low growl escapes me then as I think of that traitor, that disfigured, two-faced, worthless little thief wielding my birthright as if he had a claim to it. That is _my _power; it is my destiny to claim it and avenge myself and my family, to become King of the Underworld. _

_And just like any ousted heir, I shall reclaim that which is mine. By blood it is mine, and by blood shall it be gained. Arkham's blood will stain the dirt beneath my boots before I am finished with him. He will beg for mercy long before I take his miserable life. And this time I will make absolutely sure he is dead; a body in pieces scattered across the world cannot easily return to life. Such a fate will meet Arkham before I am satisfied._

_That I promise, upon Yamato's blade. _

Yamato!

_I quickly sit up and look around, ignoring the involuntary lurch of my stomach as I cast about for my father's blade. I spy it leaning against a pile of broken stones only two feet away, almost as if placed there. I also see that I am at the bottom of a long shaft, crevice rather, and there is rubble all around me. _

_This is all taken in before I can no longer ignore the intestinal demands of what seems to be a concussion and wrench my head to the side, endevouring to avoid ruining my favorite coat. _

_Once my stomach has settled, I wipe my mouth and get to my feet, taking care to avoid any sudden movements. It is far beneath me, not to mention intensely uncomfortable, to lose mastery of my stomach. However, I do not wish to set it off again. _

_Grabbing Yamato, I examine it closely. After a few seconds, I let out a tiny sigh of relief. Both scabbard and blade are as immaculate as I remember; nothing has touched either since I lost consciousness, and no rocks have left their mark upon them. _

_My body needs to repair the damage before I can set off in pursuit of Arkham. I can feel the regeneration already in progress, but the concussion still remains, along with numerous wounds incurred at Dante's hands. Rebellion bit deeply into my side, and the flesh there is only half-healed. I am no longer bleeding, but the wound has yet to fully close. _

_So I settle down to wait, well away from the stinking puddle I created earlier. My head tilts back against the cold stone of my temporary prison, and I find myself thinking of Dante. Where did he fall after Arkham knocked us off the dais? Did he find himself on a section of floor sturdy enough to remain in one piece? Or is he languishing in a prison of earth and stone as well, waiting for his wounds to heal enough that he can call to the devil within and fly to freedom? _

_It is at times such as these that I wish our mental connection still existed. If it was still between us, I could reach out to him and discover his condition, his location. I bear no love for my brother, that is true, but neither do I hate him. It was never my intention to kill him, nor to somehow play a role in his demise. Despite our differences, he is my only remaining family. And that makes him worthy of my protection._

_Once my goals are met, that is. _

_Dante would make a suitable guardian of the Human World. Once I have avenged Mother's death and destroyed Mundus, I will give him that mantle. As I rule the Demon World and keep it separate from that of humans, so will he protect the realm of mortals from my subjects. I will rule the spiritual, and he will safeguard the physical. _

_I would tell him this if I thought he would believe me. But there is too much resentment, too much pain between us right now. Dante would merely throw my words back in my face and come at me with Rebellion raised high. _

_He will go after Arkham as well. I do not need a mental link to realize that. Arkham has opened the portal, and as such poses a terrible threat to the Human World Dante loves. I will chase after the traitor to retrieve my birthright, but Dante will follow him to close the portal and remove the threat. _

_Perhaps... _

_In pursuit of a common enemy..._

_My gaze finds the luminescence flooding the chamber above the crevice, and my thoughts turn to the past as my body continues to heal. _

_Perhaps the past is not as dead as I had originally believed. _


End file.
